5 December 2015, Budapest

Dear Madam Julianna, Brother Böjte, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an uplifting feeling to be able to welcome Brother Böjte and his mother into the community of Hungarian citizens, which is gaining in numbers every day. Welcome home! As a consequence of the historical storms of the twentieth century, the Hungarian peoples have been dispersed to every corner of the globe. And since 1920, millions of our compatriots who never left their parents' home towns have become citizens of other countries with the stroke of a pen. Today, Hungarians live almost everywhere in the world. We profess that, irrespective of their place of residence, they too are members of our nation. Because, just as we do, they too speak Hungarian, pray in Hungarian, and regard the Hungarian National Anthem, the composer of which was also born outside the country's current borders, as their own. After many years, in 2010 we finally succeeded in prizing from the gates of Hungary the padlock that had been placed on them by the 20th century. We prized off the padlock and opened the door so that everyone who view themselves as Hungarian can come inside. We decided that we did not want to give up on those Hungarians, who live within the borders of other countries. We still need Vienna-born, but Hungarian-speaking Széchényis, masters of the Hungarian language such as János Arany, who was from Nagyszalonta [now Salonta, Romania], and we need people like Dezső Kosztolányi, who originated from Szabadka [now Subotica, Serbia]. And so in 2010, as Jenő Dzsida wrote, we set off as Sándor Csoma once did to find an unite every Hungarian: Seklers, people who live along the banks of the Danube and Tisza rivers, those who work among the wine hills of the Bácska region, and those whom history has left even further from their homeland, to bestow on them the right that many other European countries, including our neighbours, assure to their compatriots who live in other countries. So far, over 540 thousand people from 90 countries have submitted simplified naturalisation requests. Almost half a million requests have come from Europe, but more than two thousand have been submitted from North America, almost four hundred from South America, five hundred from Australia, and some two thousand people from Asia have requested preferential naturalisation. The youngest applicant is still a baby, and the oldest is 104 years old.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Hungary's new Fundamental Law describes the inseparableness of the Hungarian peoples as follows, and I quote: "Hungary, while bearing in mind the inseparableness of the unified Hungarian nation, shall bear responsibility for the fate of Hungarians living outside its borders, shall facilitate the survival and development of their communities, shall support efforts to preserve their Hungarian nature, the enforcement of their individual and community rights, the establishment of their community self-governments and their prosperity on the land of their birth, and shall further their cooperation both with each other and with Hungary." The reason I have quoted this particular passage it because when we were still only dreaming of ever being able to include this ideal in legislation, Brother Böjte, at his God-given post, had already achieved it. In the persons of Csaba Böjte and his mother, Julianna, we are welcoming two compatriots who dreamed up, established and run the Saint Francis Foundation of Déva. An organisation that embraces, helps, raises and loves God's smallest: children. Their national education efforts and their institution-creating, community-building activities are a shining example to the whole Hungarian nation, providing us with a model for taking responsibility for others. We cannot be grateful enough to Madam Julianna and Brother Csaba for, in addition to providing for 2300 children, helping with Hungarian language education, career guidance, vocational training, and to create and retain jobs. They not only teach, they raise children, because their goal is to send forth young people who can be useful members of the Hungarian community as Hungarians and as whole individuals who profess Christian values.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Accordingly, it is no exaggeration to state that it is an honour for Hungary to welcome you as its five hundred thousandth and five hundred thousand and first new citizen!

I wish you much strength and good health! Soli Deo gloria!

(Prime Minister’s Office)